


The Message

by pevches



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Although I don't know shit about dancing, Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager Are Best Friends, Bottom Levi Ackerman, Dancing!fic, Drunken Shenanigans, Eren is 20, Eren's obligatory key necklace, Erwin is an asshole, Fluff and Smut, Hanji is a woman, I Tried, Levi is 28, Levi's obligatory back tattoo, Love at First Sight, M/M, Minor Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer, Pining, Set in Paris, Smoking, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Eren Yeager, WARNING: MILD non-consensual elements (sexual harassment), sex in public places, slow burn at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:21:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29813193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pevches/pseuds/pevches
Summary: Dancing is something Eren was born into. It's been the only constant in his life for as long as he can remember, other than his best friend Armin. But he never dreamed that his passion for dancing would land him a spot in arguably the most exclusive opportunity ever: A summer long dancing class at the world-esteemed Sina Ballet. He and Armin have the chance of a lifetime to travel to France to learn from some of the most talented dancers the world has ever known.But then he meets Levi Ackerman, the star of Sina Ballet and his new teacher, and it isn't long before he finds himself falling in love.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that I have been sitting on for a long time, and I finally feel like I'm ready to bring it to life. I sincerely hope that I manage to get my vision for this story into words. 
> 
> Well, here goes nothing. I hope you all enjoy it!

_As dancers, we do not communicate with words, but with emotion. We convey our message in movements, we coax the viewer into a dream world of our own making. If you cannot captivate your audience with this message, you will never be a true dancer._

_So when you dance, you must ask yourself this very important question._

_What is the message you want to give?_

_~The Message~_

Eren’s vision is blotted out by tears as he stares in shock at the email on his screen. He’s scared to blink, as if briefly closing his eyes to the world will erase the reality of the words in front of him.

“Holy shit,” Armin breathes. “Eren, are you reading this?”

After a moment, Eren allows himself to take a breath.

“I can’t believe it,” he says. “We got in… we really got in.”

Armin chuckles. “I know that I was so serious about us applying. But in all honesty, I really didn’t think that they would accept us.”

“Well…” Eren ventures, “They must have really liked our audition videos.”

“I knew that Whitney Houston arrangement was a good idea,” Armin replies. “Or maybe they just didn’t get a lot of applicants this season?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Eren scoffs. “They’re the Sina Ballet, the most famous academy for dancers in France, shit, the world. They must have had more applications than they could even watch through.”

Armin hums in agreement. “You know what, fuck it. Who cares how we managed to get in. Let’s just embrace it! Pack your bags, Jaeger. We’re about to spend the entire summer in the exclusive seminar for apprentice dancers at the Sina Ballet!”

~

If someone had told Eren in the recent past that he would be spending his summer in France learning from some of the most talented dancers the world has ever seen, he would have laughed in their face. When Armin told him a few weeks back that they were accepting applicants and that they should sign up, Eren didn’t think much of it. He helped Armin come up with an audition arrangement mostly to humor the coconut head, and after Armin submitted their videos, he pretty much forgot about it. He had made plans to return to working at the local dance studio for the summer, cleaning the floors in exchange for dancing on them when classes weren’t in session. Eren is a dance major at Shiganshina University, and he needs a lot of practice if he ever hopes to find a job in a real Ballet someday.

He almost couldn’t believe it himself when he called the local studio to apologize and back out of working there for the summer. But the owner was very understanding and excited for him. And when Armin and Eren’s plane tickets arrived in the mail courtesy of Sina Ballet, he still couldn’t believe it.

The days flew by one by one, until the date of their flight to France finally came. And before Eren knows it, he’s stepping off of the plane into a foreign country. He isn’t sure what to expect, and he’s a little scared, but he has his best friend at his side and his worn down ballet shoes in his bag. So what could possibly go wrong?

~

“I’m pretty sure that French public transportation is officially my sworn enemy.”

Eren lets out an exasperated laugh; very little can dampen his spirits today.

“How the fuck did we manage to get this lost? Isn’t Paris supposed to be known for how organized the metro is?”

“Oh yea, it’s organized alright,” Armin grumbles. “Very efficient. If you speak fucking French! Also, the map of the metro has so many different colored lines, it looks like a bowl of spaghetti gone wrong.”

“Maybe we should ask someone for directions,” Eren offers. “There’s got to be at least one person in this station who speaks English.”

“Just our luck,” Armin says under his breath. “We make it this far only to fail so close to the destination. Maybe they’ll tell stories about us. Armin and Eren, the dancing fools who never made it out of the metro.”

Eren laughs. “Armin, you’re being melodramatic again.”

“Legend says they’re still there, trying to find an English person to give them directions…”

“Hey, you two look kinda lost, can I help?”

Armin and Eren turn to see a woman standing in front of them. She has these huge glasses that make her eyes look like they’re bulging out of her head, and her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed. But she’s wearing a friendly grin, and she seems generally harmless, so Eren takes a step towards her and nervously laughs.

“Yea, we’re totally lost,” Eren says, scratching the back of his head. “Doesn’t help that we don’t know a scrap of French. We’re trying to get to Sina Station, maybe you can help us?”

The woman’s eyes light up. “Hey, that’s where I’m going! And don’t worry, I don’t know much French either, but I’ve lived here long enough to know where I’m going. Just follow me!”

“Thank you so much,” Armin says. Eren nods in agreement.

Leading them further into the station, the woman pipes up again.

“So I take it you guys aren’t from around here. What brings you to Paris?”

“Actually, we’re here for the Sina Ballet,” Armin says, his eyes alight with excitement. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but we’re participating in their summer seminar.”

The woman gasps in shock, making the pair jump.

“No way! You two are applicants? That’s amazing! I’m actually a dancer at Sina Ballet myself, so I’ll be one of your instructors!”

Armin and Eren exchange surprised looks.

Eren turns back to her. “Woah, seriously? It’s some crazy luck that we would meet you here, then! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Likewise!” She says, beaming. “My name is Hanji Zoe by the way.”

“I’m Eren,” Eren replies, “And this is Armin. Honestly, we are so beyond excited to have this opportunity to work with you guys. We almost couldn’t believe that the two of us made it in!”

Hanji laughs. “That’s what a lot of people say. To be honest, most applicants don’t think that they're good enough. But the truth is, anyone has the ability to become a master performer. You just have to have the passion and the drive to make it happen! That’s why we at Sina Ballet decided to start doing these seminars. We feel that we owe the young prospecting dancers around the world a chance to reach their full potential. We were all beginners too once, and if someone hadn’t given us a chance, we wouldn’t be where we are today!”

“That’s quite an admirable philosophy,” Armin says.

Armin and Eren follow Hanji onto the platform, and the train pulls into the station. The group steps on board as the sliding doors close behind them.

Eren wants to make a good first impression of himself, but he feels like he is bursting with questions to ask her.

“So Hanji,” Eren asks, “What are the others like? The other dancers at Sina Ballet who will be teaching us, I mean.”

“Well, there’s me of course,” Hanji says, giggling. “Trust me, you’ll come to learn that I’m pretty laid back. I mostly just like to have fun dancing, nothing too intense. Then you have Erwin. He’s a real captain America type. Dripping with good looks, and he has the talent to match. You’ll learn a lot from him. Lastly, there’s Levi. I’m sure you’ve heard all about him.”

Eren shakes his head. “No, who is he?”

Hanji’s eyes flash, and her smile widens.

“You’ve really never heard of him? Actually, he’s quite a star around here. The most talented ballet dancer the Sina Ballet and the city of Paris has ever seen. One thing to know about Levi is that he’s pretty intense. He’ll run a very tight ship and may even be a little too hard on you guys, but in terms of a ballet instructor, you really can’t ask for better than him. If you follow his teachings, he’ll be able to bring talent out of you that you never could have dreamed that you had.”

She laughs. “He may seem like a stone cold professional, but I know how much he really cares at heart. Him, Erwin and I have been friends for years. Don’t worry, I won’t let him torture you, too much.”

She winks with that last part.

~

[ ](https://imgur.com/V6S1qkg)

The train pulls into Sina Station, and Hanji leads Armin and Eren up to the street. Right as they emerge from the steps, they are met with the front of a very fancy building. The marble steps lead up to a grand entrance, with a door almost three meters tall.  
“The Sina Ballet,” Armin whispers. “I never thought I’d really see it in person. It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” Hanji smiles. “Built in 1872, you know. The royal family used to come here centuries ago to watch the dancers. And even after all that time, it’s still standing strong, passing down the art from generation to generation.”

Taking in the magnificence of the building, Eren wonders how many people had danced under those domed roofs. How many feet were laced into ballet shoes backstage, how many bodies sailed across the stage.

_This place carries so many memories, emotions made flesh…_

_Messages._

“Eren and I were told in the email to report to the administrative office to receive our living assignments,” Armin said. “You’ve helped us so much already, but do you think you could show us the way?”

“Of course! Hanji says. “I’m going that way anyway. Allons-Y!”

[ ](https://imgur.com/LqLIJlT)

Eren and Armin follow Hanji up the grand staircase and through the front doors. They found themselves in the enormous auditorium, gilded with golden accents all along the ceiling. Rows of red velvet chairs led up to the wooden stage, draped in a matching red curtain. Their footsteps seem to travel all around the room as they echo.

“Now this,” Armin says, “This is an auditorium. I kinda feel like I’m not worthy of performing in a place like this.”

“Well, it’s just an empty room without performers, right?” Hanji replied. “But it really is something to be up on that stage. Makes me feel like I’m on top of the world every time! You’ll see what I mean. Anyway, follow me, the office is this way!”

Hanji leads the pair backstage, which gives way to a network of hallways. They pass multiple rooms equipped with floor-length mirrors and ballet bars.

Eren sees something moving in the corner of his eye that stops him in his tracks.

Looking through the open door of one of the practice rooms, his heart stops.

A man stands there, dressed in a white flowing shirt tucked into dark tights. He has short hair dark as night, which causes a stark contrast against his alabaster skin. He has small, pointed features, with a slender, lithe build to match. Even from that distance, Eren can make out the darkness of his lashes and perfectly groomed brows standing out against his pale skin. He is poised in a perfect fourth position, watching himself in the mirror in front of him.

“Who is that?” Eren asks, his voice no more than a whisper.

“That, my friend, is Levi,” Hanji whispers back. “He’s practicing his solo again, that perfectionist. Keep quiet and just watch.”

The music starts.

From the beginning, his motions are joined together in one fluid movement. He slowly raises his arms to the ceiling, bending his leg and sliding the opposite foot away from his body. He pirouettes into third position, and the smooth swishes of his arms and legs make it seem as though he were immersed in water. His steps are unfaltering as he gracefully glides across the dance floor. He jumps into a twirl and effortlessly floats through the air. All the while, his dancing flows perfectly with the song.

With one last group of twirls, Levi lands in that perfect fourth position again, and the music ends.

Eren didn’t blink once during the whole dance. And even now that it was over, he still couldn’t tear his gaze away.

The raven, glancing over as he notices that he’s being watched, looks towards them.

And as Eren is met with eyes as silver as polished gunmetal, he knows with certainty that he is the most beautiful person he has ever seen, and is likely to ever see again.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, chapter two is already here. Who woulda thunk it.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

[ ](https://imgur.com/5RMoNl9)

The big windowed doors of the living room are open, the curtains softly billowing as the warm night breeze sweeps into the apartment. Eren is standing outside on the balcony of their apartment, leaning against the railing watching the racing car lights in the street below.

Metallic eyes are still burned into the back of his brain, and he lets his mind wander to the events of earlier that day. Watching the raven dance, mesmerized by the delicacy of his movements, the surety that he portrayed as he streamed from one movement to the next. When the dance ended, Eren felt like he wanted to stand planted in that spot, never needing to look away from the man. But Levi looked over at them, and as soon as Eren met those silvery eyes for the first time, Hanji was shoving him and Armin away, saying something along the lines of not wanting to disturb him. 

Eren rubs his face with his hands, letting out a sigh. He didn’t even get a chance to say hi to Levi. He feels like the time in between now and getting another chance to talk to the man will just stretch on forever. 

“It’s true what they say about this city, it really is more beautiful at night.”

Eren turns his head to see Armin coming outside to meet him.

“Yea,” Eren muses, turning back to look out at the lights. “Yea, it is.”

Armin settles next to Eren, a mug of hot tea in his hands.

“Seems like your mind is far away,” Armin says, pausing to take a sip. “What are you thinking about?”

Eren sighs heavily. He’s always been very honest with Armin.

“I’m scared that doing this course just got a little complicated for me,” He admits.

“How do you mean?”

Eren turns his eyes to the pavement below.

“You know how we met Levi today?”

Armin takes another sip.

“Well, we didn’t meet him exactly, but yea, what of it?”

“I don’t know, Ar,” Eren says. “I just can’t stop thinking about him. The way he dances… I’ve never seen anyone dance like that. It’s kinda like… he’s the embodiment of dance. That probably sounds really weird but I don’t know how else to explain it. And to be honest, even though I’ve only seen him once, I feel like I’ve never been attracted to someone like this.”

Armin listens quietly as Eren struggles to put his feelings into words.

“I don’t know,” He says again. “I just feel like he was drawing me in or something, like a magnet. I just wanted to be closer to him. That probably sounds crazy.”

“I wouldn’t say crazy,” Armin responds. “But I see what you mean when you say that things are more complicated. Being whipped for Levi Ackerman of all people could prove to be potentially problematic.”

“Potentially problematic?” Eren can’t help but laugh. “I guess that sums it up pretty well.”

“Maybe you’re just inflating it in your head so much since you haven’t had feelings for someone for so long,” Armin suggests. “Not to invalidate your feelings, of course. It just seems like these feelings are pretty intense for someone who you only met once.”

“Like I said, I can’t really explain it,” Eren says, pausing to steal a sip of Eren’s tea. “It’s just how I feel.”

Armin lets out a sigh. “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. So what if you find the guy attractive. Why should that mean something bad will happen?”

Eren shrugs.

“I suppose you’re right. In any case, I’m gonna head to bed, will you wake me up tomorrow?”

“Yea, me too. And sure, you never wake up to your alarm anyway.”

~

The next morning, Eren and Armin find themselves groggily crawling out of bed to get ready for their first day of classes, which just like all other Ballet practices start at the crack of dawn. As the apartment Sina Ballet rented out for them is a ten minute walk from the place, Armin and Eren tiredly walk there. 

As they’re walking in the front doors, Armin lets out a big yawn.

“What is it with performers and the constant sleep deprivation,” He questions. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been looking forward to this, but we seriously just got here yesterday. It’s pretty brutal.”

“Can’t argue that logic,” Eren says. “I can literally feel the jetlag pulling my eyes closed.”

As instructed, Eren and Armin report to studio 1C, which Hanji showed them where to find yesterday. Eren sends up a silent prayer for all the pure souls who didn’t get the special treatment that they were lucky enough to happen upon when they met Hanji. He wonders how many of the other students got lost trying to get here.

Walking into the studio, Eren sees that several other students have already arrived. Some are stretching, some are scrolling on their phones, and a group of people are congregated in the corner, quietly conversing.

One of the girls from the group runs up to Armin and Eren, offering them a friendly smile.

“Hey guys! My name is Sasha, nice to meet ya!”

Eren smiles back, secretly wondering how this girl has so much energy at 7 AM.

However, he’s admittedly hoping to make some new friends, so he matches her enthusiasm.

“Hey, I’m Eren, and this here is Armin,” He responds. “Nice to meet you too!”

Sasha beckons Eren and Armin over to the group. “A few of us have already started getting acquainted, so let me introduce you.”

Sasha gestures to a young looking guy with dark hair and freckles splayed over his face. “This is Marco, he’s from Spain, but his English is great!”

Marco blushes. “Hey guys.”

Sasha continues on, putting an arm around a short guy with a buzzcut. “This is Connie. I actually used to dance in a class with him when we were kids, so I can say for sure that he’s a good guy!”

Connie grins almost as wide as Sasha, giving Eren the impression that he has the same energy as her. “What’s up guys, welcome to the gang!”

Sasha proceeds to introduce Reiner, a brawny-looking blonde with a cool demeanor, Bertolt, who Eren thinks may just be the tallest guy he’s ever seen, and Mina, a sweet but soft spoken girl. 

“And lastly, this is Jean,” Sasha says, referring to a guy standing off to the side. He has two-toned tawny hair, and unfortunate facial features that remind Eren of a horse.

Jean smirks, speaking with a distinct French accent. “Saved the best for last, I see.”

Eren’s almost immediately averse to this guy’s attitude, but tries not to let it show.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Armin pipes up happily. “I hope we can all learn from each other and make some amazing memories!”

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Sasha exclaims. “I hope so too!”

Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of the door opening again. The group grows silent as all eyes in the room look up at the newcomer.

Eren feels his heart jump into his throat as Levi crosses the room to stand front and center to address the class.

“You all may be seated,” Levi says cooly. Eren shudders; his voice is deep and silky like mousse. 

Everyone sits cross-legged on the dance floor, and Eren watches Levi’s movements carefully as he begins to pace slowly.

“My name is Levi Ackerman, but you may call me Levi. Not Mr. Ackerman, not teacher, just Levi. You are present in my class because you have been chosen to participate in the Sina Ballet summer seminar for dance. I want to impress on you how much of a privilege it is for each and every one of you to be here. Many people out there pay out the nose and work for many years to even get close to an opportunity like this, but it’s basically being handed to you people, for free I might add. As such, you will keep in mind that this is a privilege that can be taken away if you don’t follow the rules.”

Eren listens intently, but his eyes are wandering to the strip of skin exposed by his collared shirt, the way his slender muscles contract and release as he walks. Even in a casual setting, he moves like an elk, holding his head high, his footsteps completely silent.

“The rules are simple,” Levi continues. “Coming late to my class is a disrespect that I will not tolerate. Show up on time or do not show up at all. Next, do not complain in my class about the physical toll this course will take on you. This course is very rigorous, so if you’re not prepared for that and you’re going to whine like a brat about it, you’re better off packing your bags now.”

Levi turns to scan the class with his sharp gaze. “Next, I don’t care what happens amongst you outside these doors. Settle disagreements if you must, hook up with each other if you must. Just leave it at the door when you come here. Bring your drama into my classroom and I can promise you that you’ll never set foot in this building again.”

Glancing around the room, Eren notices that some of the students look nervous. Hanji’s words echoing in his head, Eren agrees that Levi is pretty intense. But Eren isn’t afraid. All he can see is beauty.

“Follow these rules and I promise you as an instructor, I will work hard to bring out the best in all of you. Every single one of you has been chosen because myself and the others here see potential in you. If you are willing to work hard and stay dedicated, I can assure you that you will rise to become a group of excellent new dancers.”

Some students exchange looks of excitement. 

“Now, here’s how the summer is going to go. Classes start today. You will have two hours of classical Ballet with me in the morning, two hours of contemporary in the afternoon, and stage training for two hours in the evening once a week. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is expected that you will use the open studios here to practice in your own time. One month from now, the summer recital season begins with our first performance, which will be choreographed by myself, and the two other teachers here who you will meet. There are six recitals in total, including the opening recital, the four midsummer recitals, and the final recital at the end of the season in late August.”

The thought of really performing on that magnificent stage for an audience makes Eren feel slightly nervous. In order to measure up to Levi’s expectations, he knows that he will need a lot of practice. 

“I should also mention this to get it out of the way,” Levi says. “Before the start of the recitals, one of you will be chosen to dance the recital finale. This is a duet that is danced at the very end of the show. The person in the class who shows the most compatibility with the role in terms of skill and style will be chosen. There will be no audition for this role. Your instructors including myself will be observing all of you in classes, and we will make a collective decision based on what we observe.”

Sasha raises her hand.

“Levi, sir, so if it’s a duet, will you choose two people to dance the finale?”

“You can drop the sir,” Levi responds curtly, “And no, as I said, only one student will be chosen. That student’s partner will be me.”

Eren’s heart skips a few beats.

_Someone will be dancing a duet with Levi?_

Images instantly start flashing in Eren’s mind of bright spotlights, a darkened stage. Dancing across the wooden floors, Levi in his arms.

His mind is already made up. 

The student chosen for the duet will be him.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren's first conversation, followed by late night drinks with the bois

“Point your toes, Springer. You’re not a circus performer, you’re a graceful Ballet dancer.”

Eren glances over at Connie who is visibly struggling to steady his relevé. Levi weaves among the other students, scrupulously studying the poise of each person. Eren’s muscles are starting to burn with the strain of holding the position, but he’s keeping his focus forward, refusing to make it obvious. He can feel beads of sweat accumulating on his lower back and forehead.

“Mina, keep your arms raised higher. Very good, just like that. Remember students, the hallmark of any classical ballet dance is your relevé. You will return it many times in a dance, similarly to the five basic positions. To master a perfect relevé, it is essential to also master the fifth position. As we reviewed before, you can find your way to a relevé by lifting onto your toes from this position.”

Levi continues to journey around the room, and Eren feels his stomach muscles tightening further as the raven makes his way over to him. He runs his eyes up and down Eren’s pose, making Eren feel like his skin is burning. Eren strains his arms even further, locking his straightened legs and pushing down on his toes as hard as he can. He can feel his heart racing with the effort, and wonders how long he can keep it up.

Levi doesn’t speak for a moment, he just continues to observe him. 

“Turn your heels a bit more inward, and bring your right foot more forward.”

Eren follows Levi’s command, making the adjustments. Levi tuts in approval and circles back to the front to face the class.

“You can all relax now.”

Several people let out sighs of relief as they sag down. Eren feels the built up tension waning from his aching limbs as he returns to a standing position.

“God damn,” Armin whispers next to him, massaging his bicep. “Maybe we should start lifting weights outside of class or something.”

“You’re telling me,” Marco agrees from Armin’s other side. “That almost took everything I had.”

“Alright students,” Levi says. “For the rest of our time, I’ll be introducing you to the grand adage. This is a very advanced ballet movement that takes an extreme level of discipline and physical strength to achieve. To successfully wield the grand adage, the dancer must have complete control over the body’s movements. It consists of a very slow turn on the following foot, as the leading leg is slightly bent backwards to bring the leading foot over the head. The arms of course are raised in fifth position, and sometimes the head is bent outward and opposite of the leading leg. Now, watch carefully as I demonstrate it to you.”

The class gathers in the back of the studio as Levi finds the center of the room. Facing away from the group, he quickly assumes a flawless relevé. Eren watches in awe as he effortlessly raises his right leg up and over his head, and uses the ball of his left foot to begin to turn. He stays completely frozen in his position as he turns, not once faltering or trembling, like a revolving tiny dancer in a music box. His face is completely relaxed, as if this incredible feat of ballet is as easy for him as walking. 

After completing a full evolution, Levi returns to his relevé and descends to fifth position. He lets his arms fall to his sides and turns to address the class.

He smirks when he sees the dumbfounded looks on the faces of some of the students. “With practice and with my guidance, you too can achieve this skill. Remember to practice outside of class and stay disciplined. I will see you all tomorrow for class at 7 AM sharp. Dismissed.”

As the rest of the class turns to gather their belongings, Eren swallows the lump of nerves growing in his throat and takes a step forward to approach Levi.

_ I… I have to talk to him. _

“Excuse me, Levi?” He says carefully. The raven turns toward him, regarding him with cold steely eyes.

“Yes? Eren, was it?” He replied.

“I, uh,” Eren ventures, desperately trying to collect his thoughts. “Well I, I just wanted to apologize for you know, watching you yesterday. Maybe that was wrong of us.”

Levi regards him for a moment before replying.

“What did you think?”

Eren’s mind is completely empty.

“What?”

Levi sighs, bending down to pick up his bag. Eren can’t help but briefly eye the curve of his back.

“What did you think of the dance that I was doing?” He clarified.

Eren wonders if Levi is annoyed, which makes him even more nervous.

“I, I mean I’m not sure how valid my opinion is on it since I’m a beginner and all, but honestly…”

Eren meets Levi’s gaze and continues with surety.

“I thought it was breathtaking. It would be a privilege to see it in the show.”

Levi seems slightly taken aback by Eren’s answer, but continues to regard him with that stoic glare.

“Well, it won’t be in the show. I used to dance it at the end of the recitals, but that’s being replaced by the duet for the summer.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Eren responds. 

Levi shrugs. “It’s no big deal. Besides, I’ll be choreographing the duet just as I did with that solo, so I don’t have much of a reason to be upset about it.”

“If you’re not dancing it anymore, how come you were practicing it?” Eren asks, instantly wanting to kick himself for asking something like that.

His shame instantly dissipates when he sees the corner of Levi’s lip slightly curve up, instantly giving him butterflies.

“Just takes me back, I guess. That routine is actually several years old. It was the first dance that I ever made, and for some reason I always go back to it as a warm up. Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m thinking of pulling some steps from that dance for the duet.”

Eren smiles. “You should. It would be like... making the duet yours.”

Something flashes in Levi’s gaze when it meets with Eren’s. His eyes almost look… soft. 

“Tch. I guess so. In any case, see you tomorrow.”

Eren realizes that he’s been holding Levi up this whole time, and just like that the embarrassment is back.

“Oh, right. Yea, see you tomorrow Levi.”

~

“So Eren, where are you and Armin from anyway?”

Connie offers Eren another beer, who leans over to accept it. He cracks it open and takes a long swig before slumping back on the couch.

“The states,” He replies. “New York City actually. Well, not exactly, we live on the outskirts. Not in the cool, touristy area if that makes sense.”

“We’re street rats,” Armin jeers, his face flushed red from how many cans he’s downed. Connie chortles.

“The big apple,” Reiner chimes in. “Now that’s pretty cool. Bert and I are from a middle of nowhere town in Canada, near Niagara.”

“We’re practically neighbors,” Eren chuckles. “Comparatively at least. Connie, what country did you say you’re from?”

“Monaco, asswipe,” Connie says. “Sasha and I grew up there.”

The buzzcutted boy sighs wistfully. “What I wouldn’t do for a piece of that booty. Trust me when I say, I’ve been chasing that girl for years. She’s either completely clueless, or I am.”

Reiner snickers. “Maybe it’s the both of you.”

Connie sneers, throwing an empty can at his head. “Listen, I have a plan, ok? This trip is my chance! I’m just waiting for the perfect moment. Then, I’ll make my move.”

“Odds that you’ll call her right now?” Armin says, finishing his drink. 

“He won’t. He’s a pussy,” Reiner deadpans.

“Bet,” Connie grumbles, grappling to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Fucking bet.”

Eren jumps up, laughter spilling out of his mouth. “No, don’t do it man, you’re too fucked up!” 

He tries to wrestle the phone out of Connie’s hands, but Armin and Reiner get up to hold him back.

“Do it!” Armin exclaims.

“Armin!” Eren says, shocked. “You’re going to condone this?”

“Oh get your panties out of a knot,” Armin slurs. “Don’t stop him from getting some ass just because you can’t get any from-”

“Shut the fuck uppppp,” Eren growls quietly. Armin smirks at him.

“Fine, fine,” he whispers back, “My lips are sealed. For now.”

“I will literally bowl cut your hair in your sleep.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Okay okay, everyone shut the fuck up, it’s ringing!” Reiner says. Everyone gathers around Connie, who his holding his phone and looking extremely nervous.

“Hello?” Sashas voice comes through the speaker. 

“Uh, hey Sasha!” Connie says, clearly trying to sound sober. Reiner leans on Eren as the two try not to bust out laughing.

“What’s up Connie?” Sasha questions. She kind of sounds like she’s eating.

“So uh, I was just wondering if, ya know, sometime this week you wanted to come over and chill with me and the guys?”

“I was just thinking that we should do that!” Sasha exclaims excitedly. “Over the weekend I’ll see if I can round up some of the girls, just let me know when!”

Connie’s face lights up. “O-okay! Sounds good! I’ll let you know! Uh, bye!”

He quickly hangs up the phone, putting a hand over his chest.

“Holy shit,” He breathes. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“And the boy becomes a man,” Reiner says, smiling and shaking his head as Armin gives Connie a high five.

“Now for fuck’s sake, we need another round,” Eren says, jogging to the kitchen to grab more beer.

Nearly two hours later, Connie and Armin were passed out on the floor. Eren was finishing up his 8th beer and was feeling pretty woozy. Looking over at the balcony, he sees that Reiner stepped out for a smoke.

“Can I bum?” Eren asks, moseying up next to him.

Reiner raises an eyebrow. “It’s probably not good form for dancers to be smoking, you know.”

“Well, I’m drunk. And you’re doing it, so what does that make you?”

“Touche.”

Reiner hands Eren a cigarette and a lighter. Eren lights up the end and takes a deep puff. He exhales slowly, watching the smoke unfurl from his lips into the crisp night air.

“Damn, I forgot what a drunk head high feels like,” Eren sighs, letting his head fall into his hands.

“Hits different,” Reiner agrees.

The two fall into a comfortable silence, and Eren lets his mind wander. After his first conversation with Levi, he had pretty much been on cloud nine all day. He couldn’t stop thinking about the dulcet tones of his voice, the elegant contours of his body. He wonders what Levi thinks of him. Is he just annoying? Just another student?

Eren sighs, taking another drag. He knows that it’s probably not a good thing to be having these thoughts about his instructor. But he can’t help it, he just felt so entranced in his presence. He ponders if it’s some sick joke of the universe that he should be attracted to the man like this. 

_Maybe I should just try to ignore it_ , Eren considers. 

Reiner puts out his cigarette. “Maybe I should go scrape up Connie and get going.”

“How come?” Eren asks, ditching his own cigarette.

“The sun’s coming up.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like beer. And head highs. And beer head highs.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woah look, there's chapter four. Includes more drinking (what a surprise), the appearance of a certain Captain America, and Eren being whipped as fuck. Enjoy!

“Next time I get an idea like drinking before practice, punch me in the face.”

Armin makes a fair point; he definitely looks worse-for-wear. Dark circles have appeared around his baby blues, and his facial expression seems to be permanently morphed into a grimace.

“And the fluorescent lights in here. It’s like they’re drilling a hole through my skull. Can’t we just practice in the dark? Or not at all? Not at all works for me today.”

Eren snickers at his hungover friend. “You’ll be fine, just keep drinking that water.”

“No. I really think that I’m going to die. Eren, take me to the hospital.”

“Armin. Melodramatic.”

“Don’t miss me too much when I’m gone. Also, erase my browsing history.”

“Why? Don’t want anyone to see your weird japanese porn?”

“The porn I don’t mind. It’s all the mukbangs. That shit is embarrassing.”

“All right class, everyone shut up. It’s 7 AM, so we’ll be starting now.”

The students quiet down, and Eren looks up as Levi walks in the door. He internally groans at how good Levi looks today; he’s wearing a long-sleeved, button down white top billowing over navy blue leggings. His hair is mostly dry, but he definitely had been in the shower. Eren also notices that he’s wearing a small, circular stone earring in each ear. He thinks about how much he would like to graze his teeth across one of them, teasing the lobe with his tongue.

Eren forces himself to stop drooling over the man as he speaks again.

“We’ll be starting the day with a brief review of what you learned yesterday, then I’ll be teaching you some more ballet theory. At the end, I’ll be showing you the first steps of the group routine you’ll all be performing in the recitals.”

Dispersed whispering travels around the room. 

“I wonder what type of dance it will be,” Armin says. “Do you think we’ll even be able to pull it off in such a short amount of time?”

“Save your questions or comments about the recital for the end of class, please,” Levi says bluntly. “Now, everyone find fifth position and ascend to a relevé.”

The door opens unexpectedly, and a man walks in who Eren could only describe as Captain America-like. Thick, bushy brows sit above his blue eyes like two caterpillars, matching the golden blondness of his perfectly combed hair. The rest of his facial features look like they were chiseled like a sculptor, just like his adonis-like muscles. 

“Who, and I cannot stress this enough, the  _ fuck _ , is that?” Armin breathes, the consequences of last night visibly disappearing from the boy’s face as he gawks at the newcomer. 

“Hey Levi, got a sec?” The man says, crossing the room to meet him. Noticing his arrival, Levi addresses him with an icy glare.

“You better be interrupting my class for a good reason, Erwin,” Levi bites. 

Eren is surprised at how much Levi’s demeanor has changed. Normally Levi isn’t an overly bubbly person, but the way he’s glowering at the man makes the raven’s usual attitude look like a girl scout selling cookies.

“Relax Levi, I just need the key to the office,” Erwin replies, seemingly unbothered by his hostile attitude. Scowling in response, Levi grabs a key out of his bag and hands it to him.

“Next time, don’t forget your own damn key,” Levi says. Erwin chuckles.

“But then I wouldn’t have an excuse for our lovely talks,” He replies with a smirk. Levi has a look of disgust on his face, and all of a sudden Eren wants to match that expression. He’s decided he’s more than seen enough of this man and his shit-eating attitude as anger flickers in his core.

Erwin turns to the group of students, who all are mostly pretending not to notice the tense change in the environment.

“Sorry for the interruption,” He says in a sickly sweet tone. “Please continue.”

With that, Erwin sends one last simper Levi’s way before exiting the way he came. Levi lets out an exasperated sigh, returning to the center of the room.

“Please ignore my shit-for-brains colleague,” Levi grumbles. “Now, let’s pick up where we left off.”

~

“The game is truth or drink,” Sasha says, pouring Captain Morgan into everyone’s shot glasses. Eren couldn’t believe that they were drinking for the second night in a row. But at least tomorrow is Saturday, and the group will have a day to sleep off whatever happens tonight.

“So how do you play?” Connie asks, subtly leaning closer to Sasha.

“We go around the room taking turns asking a member of the group a question,” She explains. “If you get a question, you have the choice to give an honest answer, or take a shot.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Reiner says. “So who goes first?”

“I have a good one!” Sasha exclaims, glancing over at Armin with a shit-eating grin. “Armin, I think a few of us noticed the way you were giving eyes to that Erwin guy at practice today. My question is, would you or would you not like a piece of that ass?”

Armin chokes slightly on his whiteclaw as he giggles. “Absolutely not,” He responds. “However, I would like him to take a piece of my ass.” The group starts cackling as Armin rolls back, groaning. “Ahhh, he’s so hot, I can’t take it! If he doesn’t rail me by the end of the summer I might just die.”

“Bold of you to assume that I won’t be the one he’s railing,” Sasha counters with a leer. Connie retorts with a glare of protest.

“Since when are you into those Captain America looking hunks Sasha? He’s all brawn and no brain.”

“Don’t worry Connie,” Armin says. “I can tell that guy is gay as a picnic basket.”

Connie blushes. “I-I wasn’t worried,” He stammers under his breath.

“Alright,” Reiner says. “My turn.” He turns to Eren. “Jaeger, your last lay, who was it? Tell us everything.”

Armin chortles. “Oooh it’s a good story, tell em Eren!” 

Eren groans, placing his hand over his face as the rest of the group demands the story.

“Okay okay,” Eren gives in. “It was back in highschool. It didn’t mean much, we met at a party, got drunk, one thing led to another.”

“Oh come on, we need more details than that!” Mina says, handing Sasha another drink as she sits down. “What did she look like?”

“ _ He _ was, I don’t know, your average white guy I guess. Not much special about him to be honest. I just remember he had this vanilla cigar that we smoked together after. It was… nice.”

“Well shit, I didn’t peg you as gay Eren,” Reiner laughed. “Not that it’s a bad thing, I’m just sayin. So do you take it or dish it out?”

Eren snorts. “If you must know, I serve it up on a silver platter.”

“That’s hot,” Sasha says.

“God Sasha, don’t be gross,” Mina retorts, an aghast look on her face. Sasha laughs maniacally. 

“Okay, I got one for you Connie,” Eren says, a cheeky grin appearing on Connie’s face. 

With a completely serious look, Eren asks his question. “Connie, this may be a little personal so I understand if you’re gonna take your shot. But my question is… what would it take to grow out that buzzcut of yours?” 

The whole group busts out laughing, Sasha spitting out her drink. “I can answer that one Eren. I’ve been telling him forever he should grow it out, so I’m pretty sure rain will be falling up when the day comes.”

“This head just isn’t meant for hair,” Connie retorts, shaking his head. “I don’t know how you people stand it. I had long hair when I was a kid, and I could not stand the way it was tickling my ears all the time. It was a nightmare.”

“My turn now!” Armin pipes up. He gives Eren a suspicious look. “Eren, my darling, my love, answer us this. Who in this wide world would you most like to fuck?”

“Oooooooh!” Reiner laughs. “Now this should be good.”

Eren chuckles, glaring daggers at his friend. “I’ll kill you later, you know.”

With that, he simply raises his shot glass despite complaints from the group. He feels the warm sting of the whiskey running down his throat as thoughts of raven hair and silver eyes invade his mind.

~

The weekend flies by, and before the group knows it, classes start again. Several days of practice pass, each day posing new challenges for the students to overcome. But with every new movement that he masters, every pirouette that he lands and every pointed toe he lifts off of, Eren feels himself yearning more and more for Levi. When the raven is close, Eren feels so out of breath, and the only way to come up to air would be to close the distance between them. What he wants more than anything is to talk to Levi, get to know him. Hell, he wants to know everything about him. What does he do outside of dancing? What are his favorite songs, what drink does he knock back at the end of a long week? Does he have a girlfriend? A boyfriend? Fuck, if he’s already spoken for, Eren doesn’t know how he’d ever get over it. He’ll probably just drink himself into a perpetual stupor.

Eren wonders how he managed to fall for him so quickly; he’s certain that he’s never felt like this about anyone. He’s had crushes before, but not like this. No one has ever made his heart race every time they walk into a room. He’s never felt words dying in his throat as he tries to talk to them. No one has ever made him want  _ so much _ .

His feelings are no different as he follows Levi through the hallway. He’s enthralled by the way he walks, elegantly transferring his weight from one foot to the other. Levi somehow incorporates delicacy into every movement, not just dance. And of course, he can’t help but let his eyes fall to Levi’s luscious ass.  _ Damn _ , it looks like it would fit so perfectly into his hands. 

Eren is pulled out of his dirty thoughts when Levi speaks up. “Listen up, class. Today we’ll have our first practice on the recital stage. I’m sure I shouldn’t have to remind you, but this recital stage was here before your grandparents, so treat it with respect. If I see one person step on it wearing street shoes, I’ll take one off and shove it up your ass.”

_ Crude as ever _ , Eren chuckles to himself. Some people may find it unappealing, but Eren doesn’t mind Levi’s blunt attitude. If anything, he finds it refreshing; most people are so two-faced these days. He likes that he doesn’t ever have to wonder what Levi is really thinking.

The group emerges from the studio area to find themselves standing on the huge wooden stage. Looking out at the auditorium, it almost seems like an endless sea of seats, rising towards the muraled ceiling. Eren wonders how someone as insignificant as him could fill the shoes of a performer worthy of dancing across this stage for all those spectators, and suddenly he feels so small compared to the weight of it all.

“By the date of the recital, you will need to know this stage like the back of your hand,” Levi says, his words echoing around the vast expanse of the room. The reverberation of his velvety voice had an affect on Eren that he couldn’t even begin to define. “You’ll need to understand stage direction, spotlighting, queuing from the backstage staff, and so much more. To begin, I will demonstrate these elements of stage performance to you through a solo routine.”

The group gathers at the back of the stage, their eyes on Levi. Levi glances up towards the ceiling.

“Are you ready, Hanji?” Levi asks.

“All set!” Hanji’s voice echoes back. A spotlight appears, creating a bright outline around Levi’s body. Music starts playing, and Eren realizes that the solo he’s dancing… is his solo, from the first time they met.

Illuminated by the white light, Levi starts to dance. Eren has seen it before, so he anticipates every movement, hanging on the edge of every toe point and swish of his arm. Eren looks on silently as Levi claims the stage with his routine, seemingly challenging anyone watching to dare and say that he doesn’t belong up there dancing in the pale light. 

Eren feels a shock of electricity run through his body as something catches his eye. As the raven arches his back in an adagé, the back of his shirt slips down, revealing the skin underneath. Splayed out there is what looks like white feathers on the tip of a white wing. Eren had no idea that Levi has a tattoo, but he longs to unbutton the white blouse hiding it so he can see the whole thing. He wants to know how big it is, why he got it. He wants to run his fingers over it, inspecting every square centimeter.

Eren was so lost in thought that the dance is already over.

“Now, everyone take your places behind me. We’ll practice using stage directions and spotlights by going through some of the moves that you’ve learned.”

~

“It was really cool being on stage you guys, but it kind of made me super nervous!”

“I know, right? It all seems so real now. We’re really going to be performing up there!”

Eren and the rest of the group had gathered after classes for some extra practice. Sasha was helping Connie at the barre, who was a blushing mess as he deepened his plié. Mina was practicing positions, and Jean was stretching in the back with the same spiteful look on his face as always. Armin and Reiner were sitting with Eren in the corner.

“We’ll be fine, we just need more practice,” Reiner reassures the group. “Speaking of, what should we do?”

“Why don’t we take turns practicing something, and the rest of us can critique it?” Mina offers shyly.

“Good idea,” Armin agrees. “So, who wants to go first?”

No one jumps at the question, so Eren stands up. “Actually, I have something that I want to try, if you guys are down with that.” Sasha and Connie leave the barre to join the others, who gather on the floor to watch Eren.

Eren isn’t sure why he wants to try this. Maybe… it would bring him closer to  _ him _ somehow. 

Lifting off of his feet, he starts to replicate Levi’s solo.

He knows that he’s nowhere close to Levi’s skill, but he wants to be. With that in mind, he makes the first steps, ascending to his toes to begin the first set of fouettes. The image of Levi’s body moving through the air enters his mind, and he channels it to his body, allowing his limbs to take on those memories. He can see Levi’s hair weightlessly flowing around his face, his button down loosely spinning around his torso. He wonders if he’d ever be able to recreate that beauty, to do his perfection justice. 

Looking in the mirror, he can see the others gawking at him.

“Eren… you’re amazing,” Sasha breathes.

“I can’t believe he’s really doing it!” Connie agrees.

Eren continues to dance, grateful for the response from the group. But unbeknownst to him, it isn’t just his friends watching him. Maybe if he wasn’t so lost in the dance, he would have noticed the pair of silver eyes watching him from behind the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love that back tattoo.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin and Eren have a picnic, then Eren receives some bad (good?) news.

[ ](https://imgur.com/uXlPjuY)

“The Seine is the most romantic river in the world. She encourages us to dream, to linger, to flirt, to fall in love, or to at least fantasize that falling in love is possible. The light bouncing off her banks and bridges at night can carry even the least imaginative of us into flights of fancy.”

The ripples of the clear water catch the midday sunlight, creating a blanket of rhinestones over the river. Eren turns to Armin, who is leaning back on his elbows with his ray bans on to drink in the warm rays. 

“Where’d you hear that, in a brochure or something?” Eren quips. Armin shrugs.

“I read it in the plane magazine. It was all about the touristy stuff in Paris,” He says, popping a piece of watermelon in his mouth. “Thought it was pretty.”

“Didn’t take you for a man of literature,” Eren jokes. “But you’re right. It is pretty.”

Armin sighs, letting his head fall to the blanket below them. “This was a good idea, I can’t remember the last time I had a picnic like this. And complete with fruit and lemonade. It’s official… we’re the gayest people in France.”

Eren laughs. “That’s probably true. Hey, did you bring that cigar?”

“The french one? Yea, it’s in the basket. Hopefully it’s good,” Armin replies, fishing the cherry cigar and a lighter out of the basket. Handing it over, Eren lights it up and takes a deep inhale.

“Damn, this is good,” Eren comments, exhaling slowly into the spring air. It tastes sweet and fruity, like cherry cola. He hands it to Armin, who takes a puff and sighs as he blows off the smoke. 

Eren lays down next to Armin, basking in the clarity of his head high. He can hear the mild breeze whispering in his ears, the far off bustle of noon traffic. He saw the blooms of the flowering tree over their heads rustling in the wind, wafting down the scent of flowers. 

“So Eren,” Armin says, munching on some more of the fruit. “Any update on the, uh, situation? You know, the Levi situation?”

Eren lets out an exasperated sigh. “If I’m honest with myself, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I want to get closer to him, but the more I talk to him, the more I feel like I don’t know him at all. I feel like he’s a locked box in a vault sealed with a padlock. And he’s so far out of my league it’s ridiculous. The smart thing to do would be to let it go, but I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Armin sits up, looking out at the river pensively. “Just do what feels right I guess. Try to find an opening and take it. If he opens up to you, build off of that. If not, don’t push him. But you haven’t even really taken your shot yet. If you really want to get to know him, you have to work harder, don’t just give up.”

Eren takes another hit of the cigar. “I guess you’re right. I’m also just nervous, I really don’t want to fuck up and make him hate me.”

“You won’t unless you do something totally stupid,” Armin says, smirking at his friend. “Jeez, who would’ve thought that something like this would come out of this trip? I swear, I have  _ never _ seen you this whipped for someone. Whenever you’ve had relationships before, you always seemed so half-assed about your feelings, no offense. But even though you’re not even dating this guy, I can tell that you’re more into him than you ever were with your exes.”

“I know, I know,” Eren groans. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”

Armin snickers, stealing back the cigar. “We’re in the city of love after all.”

~

When the morning returns again, Eren spends the day in practice. Having spent the past few days doing the same thing, he can feel the ache in his limbs with every pointed toe and twirl. His body is worn out, but he can feel himself growing stronger every day, more flexible, able to keep going easily for longer. He hopes that with enough practice, dancing will be as easy for him as it is for Levi.

However, these inspiring thoughts are pretty much shattered when Levi calls his name at the end of practice.

“Eren, before you go, come here, I need to speak with you.”

Eren feels blood run cold at the serious tone in Levi’s voice, and he runs through his brain to try to think of what he may have done wrong. Is this about him and Armin talking in class sometimes? Oh  _ fuck _ , did Levi find out about him dancing his solo? He’s pretty sure he would die from humiliation.

“Yes, Levi?” Eren says carefully.

Levi regards Eren with that same stoic expression, standing with his arms crossed. “Starting tonight, you will be attending private lessons with me. I’ll see you here at 7 PM sharp.”

Eren crossed his eyes in confusion. “Wait, why? Am I… am I not performing well enough?”

Levi sighs. “All I’ll say is that you’re going to need more practice than the other’s Jaeger. Like I said, 7 PM sharp.” With that, the raven walks off, leaving Eren shocked.

_ Is he serious? What am I doing wrong? I’m trying just as hard as the others, so why am I falling behind? _

Eren feels like a kicked puppy as he gathers his things and sulks out of the studio. Looking up, he notices that Jean is standing there against the wall, leering at Eren.

“So you need some more practice, I see,” Jean jeers. “Everyone was  _ so  _ awestruck by you when you actually tried to dance Levi’s solo the other day, but I guess it’s pretty clear what the teachers think of you.”

“Fuck off, horse-face,” Eren spits. He’s not in the mood for Jean’s shit right now.

Jean’s eyes flash with anger. Pushing away from the wall, he strides up to stand right in Eren’s face.

“I’ll destroy you Jaeger,” He bites. “I’m gonna be the best dancer in this class, and I’m also gonna dance the duet with Levi in the recitals, you’ll see. You’re just some street rat nobody from the states, I’ve been training for this all my life, right here in France. You’re nothing.”

“I don’t know if you have a problem with me, or if you’re just an asshole,” Eren retorts. “But you’re nuts if you think I give a shit about your pathetic power trip. As for the duet, I think the teachers will definitely be smart enough to see who the best dancer is in the end. And let me give you a tip, dancing is about more than training in some fancy school for decades. It’s about something that you wouldn’t ever understand.”

Eren shoves Jean out of his face and continues down the hall, fuming after such a dumb argument with that dickhead. Heading outside of the building, he stops to put his head in his hands, letting out a bitter groan.

_ What a fucked up day _ , he thinks to himself. First Levi basically told him that he sucks enough to need private lessons, and then Jean went and kicked him when he was down to make things worse. And here Eren thought that everything was going so well.

Eren’s thoughts are screaming as he walks home, and by the time he arrives at the apartment he collapses on the couch, mentally exhausted.

“Hey Eren! What happened?” Armin asks, walking out from his room and noticing Eren’s state.

“Levi told me I need private lessons and then Jean got up in my face to be a dick,” Eren mumbled, his face in a pillow. 

“That guy is  _ insufferable _ ,” Armin supplies with a cringe, sitting down next to Eren. “I swear, ever since day one he’s been acting like he’s above everyone here. Maybe he’s trying to compensate for his extremely unfortunate-looking face.”

Eren scoffs. “Spitting image of a horse.”

“As for Levi,” Armin continues, “I understand why that’s frustrating, but look at the bright side. Now you’ll have so much extra alone time with him. That’s gotta count for something.”

Eren’s head jumps up from the pillow. Holy shit, he hadn’t realized that before.

“You’re right, Why didn’t I think of that before?”

“You were too busy sulking?” Armin guesses. “Luckily you have me to be the glass-half-full guy. Now get up off that couch, I’m making tea. And then later, you’re going to your first private lesson with the man of your dreams.”

~

Eren isn’t sure what to expect as he makes his way into Sina Ballet for the second time that day. He wonders if Levi will reprimand him for his underperformance, or simply encourage him to be better. In any case, while he’s still pretty disheartened by the fact that he needs these lessons, the only thing on his mind is that he’s making his way through those halls to find Levi, alone. Right now, he’s walking towards the person he wants to see most. The reason seems inconsequential compared to how that makes him feel.

He’s almost at the door to the studio when he hears muffled voices coming from the room. He stops at the door, listening in. To his disdain, he hears the voice of Erwin Smith.

“Come on, Levi, one drink. That’s all I’m asking for. Like we used to.”

“Like I keep saying, I’m not fucking interested,” Comes Levi’s voice. “I don’t care how things used to be, you know why things changed. Now stop fucking asking, it’s really annoying and you’re not going to change my mind.”

Erwin audibly sighs in frustration. “I don’t understand why you’re still in denial, but whatever. I’m patient. One of these days, I know you’ll come around.”

Erwin walks away from Levi, opening the studio door to see Eren standing there with a look of disgust on his face. Erwin glares at Eren as he passes without a word. 

Eren makes his way into the studio, where Levi is standing in the middle of the room, exasperatedly massaging his eyebrows. Eren knows that it isn’t any of his business, but he can’t help but voice his thoughts.

“What was that about?” Eren asks, genuinely concerned by the pissed off look on Levi’s face. “It looked like he was harassing you, Levi.”

“For the love of God, please don’t ask,” Levi says bitterly. “It’s none of your concern. But don’t worry about it, brat. I can handle that dumbass. In any case, we’re not here to talk about my problems. We’re here for your lesson.”

“Right,” Eren replies. He’s still worried, and he really wants to know what is going on between those two. But for Levi’s sake, he reluctantly lets it go for now.

“Now, Eren, the first thing I want you to do is to show me my solo,” Levi says.

“Your what?” Eren says, shocked.

“I saw you dancing it the other night.”

_ Fuck. _

“Levi, I… I’m sorry-”

“Wipe that expression off your face,” The raven interrupts. “If I was mad that you did it I wouldn’t be asking you to recreate it again, would I?”

Eren is so confused. Why does Levi want Eren to recreate his solo? He’s not even skilled enough to do it properly, and if Levi saw it the other night, he must know that. Is this Levi’s way of testing him, or pushing him?

“I… I don’t understand,” He responds dumbly.

Levi huffs impatiently. “Do you trust me as your teacher, Jaeger?”

Eren pauses before responding. “Of course I do.”

“Then follow my instructions,” The raven says, walking over to the stereo. He turns it on, and the song for his solo starts playing. “Begin when you’re ready. Just do what you did the other night.”

With a deep breath, Eren gives in. Going to the middle of the room, he feels his heart pounding as he begins the dance. He’s shaking almost uncontrollably, and he can feel Levi’s eyes piercing him as he moves through the steps. He tries to look anywhere but at Levi, trying to seem focused on the movements despite all of his attention centering on the raven watching him. All he knows is that he wants to show Levi how much he loves this dance. Through the movements, Eren feels a closeness with Levi that he wonders if he’ll ever feel any other way. 

By the end of the dance, he’s no longer shaking. He chances a glance over at Levi, who’s still watching him with an indefinable expression.

“Eren, you’ve now managed to perfectly recreate my solo twice,” He says. “After only seeing it the whole way through once.”

Eren stops to think about that. He hadn’t really considered it that way. He just drew from the memory of Levi’s dancing, and brought it to life with his body. 

“Yea, I guess I did,” Eren said.

Levi took a few steps towards him, and for once, Eren wasn’t overwhelmed by feelings of nervousness or fear. 

“Eren, do you know why I’m giving you private lessons?” Levi asks.

“Because I’m falling behind in class?” Eren offers.

Levi shakes his head. “Maybe that’s the assumption going around, but the truth is that you aren’t falling behind anyone. In fact, you show by far the most growth, talent, and promise out of all the students. Although your recreation of my routine is somewhat rough around the edges, I’ve never seen someone memorize and repeat a routine so quickly.”

Eren couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What are you saying, Levi?” He asks. Levi meets his eyes, and Eren wonders if he’s ever seen them this close.

“I’m saying that I’ve chosen you to be my partner in the final duet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting spicyyy
> 
> No updates for a few days, I have irl obligations :((


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seggsual content in this chapter! You've been warned...
> 
> Additionally, some interesting moments between Eren and Levi happen.

There isn’t anything Eren wants more than to dance with Levi up on that grand stage. Partly because of the way the two of them would become one for a moment, dancing in and out of each other. Because of how close the two of them could be in that moment. But another part of him, although he isn’t sure how he feels about that part, knows that if it were anyone else up there with Levi like that, he wouldn’t be able to stand it. He probably wouldn’t have been able to stay.

But surprisingly, there’s only one thing weighing on Eren’s mind when Levi tells him that he chose him.

“Levi… What if I’m not good enough?” He asks in a small voice. “I mean, compared to you… I’m nothing. You really think I can fill those shoes? You really think that… you and I could dance together?”

The raven studies Eren for a moment. Eren tries to glean something from his eyes, hoping to gain some insight of what he’s feeling. But as always, trying to get a read on him is like trying to understand a foreign language.

“Listen carefully Eren, because I want you to remember this” Levi says. His tone has taken on a characteristic that Eren’s never heard from him before; soft, yet serious. “Dance isn’t about the amount of years you’ve put in, nor how well you can hold a split, or land a fouette turn. Those things are important, and contribute to your ability to please an audience, but it’s not  _ why _ we dance.”

Levi’s eyes seem to light up. “We dance because of our experiences, the people we meet. The emotions inside, we translate them into movement. We dance because… we want to send a message.”

_ A message? _

_ “Eren, what is the message you want to give?” _

_ He’s… he’s the same as she was… _

“I can tell that you’re different from your classmates because you understand that,” Levi continues. “You told me that you loved my solo, and when I saw you recreate it, I could perceive that message. It was still there when I asked you to do it again just now. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have; some dancers have practiced for countless years and have become very successful, but never having truly understood this, they’ve died and have been forgotten. Having a message to give is the only way to dance in a meaningful way, a way that will be remembered.”

As he’s taking in the raven’s word, his heart grows so heavy. He has been wondering how Levi became such an amazing and talented dancer, but he feels like he understands it now just a little bit more. And in this moment, the only thing Eren really knows for sure is that Levi has never looked, or  _ felt _ , more beautiful.

Eren can’t find the words to say, so Levi just turns away from him, heading over to the stereo. “Since it’s our duet, it only makes sense that we should both have a say in what song to use. I threw together a couple onto a mixtape that I think could work. Come over here.”

Eren follows Levi over to the stereo, sitting down next to him. “It will be ballet, of course,” Levi says. “And to flow with the music of the rest of the show, it has to be something classical. Since the duet is at the very end, it’s following a composition that some of the seniors in the other classes put together. Their dance is about loss and grieving, so I want the show to end with something… hopeful, I guess.”

“And the message?” Eren asks, watching Levi. “What’s the message we’re sending with our dance?”

Levi looks over at Eren and mutters softly.

“You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.”

As Levi flips through the song, one catches Eren’s ear. It’s a slow song, starting with melodic, echoing piano chords. 

“I like this one,” Eren comments. “It somehow makes me think of… moonlight.”

“Claire de Lune,” Levi says, with a small chuckle. “You really are an artist huh. It’s pretty well known, a lot of dancers have used it.”

“Do you think it’s tired?” Eren asks.

“Nah,” Levi responds. “In my opinion, she’s one of those classics that never gets old. Makes you… feel connected to the past or something.”

“Maybe you have an old soul,” Eren muses, smirking at Levi. Levi scoffs. 

“Whatever, dumbass. I think this song will work well with the beginning steps I’ve put together for us anyway.”

Levi stands up, and walks over to the mirror. “Start it over.”

Eren clicks rewind on the stereo remote, and watches Levi as the piano chords start again.

“The key to any good dance duet obviously lies in how each dancer interacts with the other,” Levi says, starting in a relevé. He falls back into a slow allusion, his right leg rising over his body as his torso falls, and he rights up again to meet it. “So I’ll start on stage right, you on stage left, and we’ll make our way across the stage to each other as the song begins.”

Levi crosses the room to the left side. He completes a few fouette turns, falling out of the last twirl into a jété to travel to the other side of the room. “In the steps, I’m inviting you to cross over to me with my allusion,” He explains. “You accept my invitation with three turns, then jété over to me. Then when you land in fourth position, I’ll sashe into an attitude turn and you’ll steady me. Ready to try it?”

Eren stands at his spot on the left side of the room. His palms are beginning to feel sweaty, but he gives Levi a nod. The music starts again, and Eren watches Levi smoothly sweep through his allusion. When he ends in fifth position, he turns his head to Eren with the beat. Eren lifts onto his toes, taking care not to be too hasty with his movements as he completes each turn. He turns his leg towards Levi as the last turn ends, and takes off of it into the jump. He feels his cheeks heat up as he realizes that his split isn’t quite what it needs to be yet, but he sticks the landing perfectly. 

Levi sashe’s over, and he lifts his right arm over his head with his left arm held out to his side. His fingers flicked outward, He turns his head to the left to watch Eren over his shoulder. 

_ This is the first time I’m touching him _ , Eren briefly thinks to himself before gently placing his fingers over the raven’s thin waist. As Levi lifts his left leg to the side and leans into the slow turn, Eren hardly needs to steady him at all. Eren longs for him to lean into him more, giving him an excuse to grab his toned sides just a little bit tighter. But he can hardly complain; Levi completes the turn and the two come face to face, standing almost as close as to feel each other’s breath. 

As Eren looks down at Levi, resenting the mere inches separating them. He wonders if Levi can feel it, the air crackling in those inches. He wonders if Levi can feel how fast his heart is racing, how much he’s trying to control his breathing. He wonders if Levi can tell how much Eren would give to not let go, to hold onto him tighter, to pull him in. To lift him off his feet and claim his lips. Looking into his eyes, Eren almost convinces himself that he sees something behind those grey irises. Something telling Eren to follow his thoughts, to keep holding onto him.

But the moment dies as Levi breaks eye contact, walking over to the stereo to silence their song.

“We’ll pick this up again when the weekend is out.”

~

“This place is seriously like a postcard!” Sasha exclaims. “Connie, look at all the flowerbeds on that building, and the ivy. Wouldn’t it be like a fairytale to live there?”

“Yea, do you think they open the windows every morning and sing a song?” Connie laughs, running to catch up to her. Sasha playfully hits him, saying something about him making fun of her.

“If those two don’t get together by the end of next week, then love is truly dead,” Reiner jokes, snapping a picture of the street. 

Armin sighs happily. “Coming here was a good idea. I feel like it’s ever so slightly less touristy than all the other spots. It all feels so authentic around here.”

“Agreed, but you better know that we’re doing all the touristy stuff too,” The blonde retorts. “Some things are touristy for a reason.”

“Fair point,” Eren agrees. “We have so much time here, after all. We should cover everything.”

Eren’s glad that he and his friends took some time to go sight-seeing for the weekend. They took a long walk past the Sina Ballet, mostly looking for cute shops and hidden gems along the way. After finding themselves exploring a beautiful cathedral known as Sacre-Coeur, they’re now exploring the adorable parisian neighborhood of Montmartre. 

Turning a corner, Eren sees a little cafe nestled into the cobblestone streets. Stacked by more apartments above, the cafe has tall glass windows and is covered with an overhang that reads  _ café du Printemps _ .

“Hey, isn’t that Levi?”

Eren feels his stomach instantly spring into his throat. Glancing around, he tries to spot him. Taking another look through the windows of the cafe, he can see someone with hair the color of night sitting in a corner, reading a book as he takes a sip from a steaming mug. It was so strange seeing Levi out of his ballet clothes; he was wearing a dark gray, long-sleeved knit top over black jeans. 

“Hey uh, you guys keep going,” Eren says, desperately trying not to stumble over his words. “I’m gonna go talk to him about, uh, practice stuff.”

“You want us to just leave you here?” Reiner asks, seeming unsure. 

“It’s fine,” Armin cuts in, trying to cover for his friend. “Eren was saying something about ahh, a question about the moves they were working on, right Eren?”

“Right,” Eren agrees, mouthing a thank-you to the blonde. “Don’t worry, I’ll just get a cab back. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Sasha says with a shrug. “See you later, Eren!”

As the group walks off, Armin turns to wink at Eren, mouthing  _ go get im _ !

After they leave, Eren suddenly feels really nervous. Is it really right to invade Levi's free time like this? What if he just gets annoyed and would rather be left alone? But noticing how  _ painfully _ good Levi looks in his casual outfit, Eren decides that he can’t waste this opportunity to get closer to Levi.

He walks into the cafe, slowly approaching Levi’s table. 

“Levi, what a surprise,” Eren says to get Levi’s attention. Glancing up from his book, the raven notices him standing there.

He raises his trimmed eyebrows. “Jaeger. What are you doing here?”

It’s official, Eren is stumbling over his words. “I, uh, I was just out sight-seeing with my friends when I saw you. I thought I’d come and say hi. I hope you don’t mind, maybe it was stupid to bother you-”

“Jeez, relax brat,” Levi sighs, closing his book. “You look like you just shot a kitten. Just sit down, It’s fine. I wasn’t really doing anything anyway. Although I’m not sure why you would rather talk to me than stick with your friends.”

Eren gingerly sits across from Levi, trying to figure out where to put his hands to stop himself from wringing them out of anxiousness. “Ah, they get kind of crazy sometimes. Not stopping to take a breath, you know. I could use the sit down.”

Levi grunts in understanding as he sips his coffee. Eren sees that he doesn’t hold his cup by the handle, instead gripping the edges with his fingers to lift it. Levi notices that Eren’s watching.

“What?” He asks.

Eren quickly looks away. “Sorry. I just noticed that you hold your cup in a funny way.”

Levi looks down at his cup, considering this for a moment. “A while back, someone gifted me this really nice mug. I really liked it. But one day I was drinking tea out of it and I dropped it, it smashed to pieces on the floor. Ever since, I’ve held it like this. It’s just a habit.”

Eren can’t help but smile. He wonders how many little things about Levi he’ll have the pleasure of learning over time. “I’m sorry about your cup,” He says.

Levi scoffs. “It wasn’t your doing.”

He takes another sip, and meets Eren’s eyes. “So, what all did you see today?”

“Well, we were mostly just walking around, but we saw the Sacre-Coeur,” He replies. “It was beautiful.”

Levi’s face morphs into a cringe. “Yea maybe, but it’s overrun with tourists. Kind of ruins it.”

Watching Eren through unreadable eyes, Levi looks like he’s trying to decide something. After a while, he throws a bill down on the table and stands up.

“Come on, kid. I’ll show you something you won’t find in any tourist book.”

Eren stands excitedly, following Levi out of the café. “Where are we going?” He asks.

“You’ll just have to see,” Levi replies mysteriously. “And don’t worry, it’s just down the street.”

Meeting Levi’s stride, Eren can’t help but beam from ear to ear; he was going with Levi somewhere. As in, they were going  _ together _ . Together, to somewhere that Levi  _ invited _ him to. He was like a fat kid in a candy store. 

“Levi, do you live around here?” Eren asks. He instantly second-guesses himself, hoping Levi didn’t take that as too much of a personal question.

“Fairly close,” Levi responds simply. “Close enough to take walks around here a lot, and to come across the place that I’m gonna show you. I like it because it’s far enough out of the center of the city to not be so touristy, but close enough to still have that Paris charm. When I first came here years ago, I knew it would be the perfect place to live.”

“Well, it’s certainly a far cry from my neighborhood,” Eren laughs. “You’d love it. Barking dogs, trash everywhere. We aren’t exactly royalty where I’m from, but I’m not ashamed of it. In fact, I kind of liked certain things. The rumble of the midnight train, climbing up the scaffolding to watch the sun go down over the buildings. It just always felt like… home.”

A small smile appears on Levi’s lips. “There’s no shame in that. It’s good to find beauty in your roots. Also, we’re here.”

They’re standing in front of a small restaurant on the corner of a street. Eren can’t help but wonder why Levi brought him here; it didn’t look all that special and there weren’t very many people around.

“Just you wait,” Levi says, seemingly reading Eren’s thoughts. “And follow me.”

The raven enters the restaurant, and Eren follows him. He casually walks to the back, where the cash register is.

“Rinee?” Levi calls out. A woman appears from the kitchen, she has a mop of curly gray hair sitting on top of her head and kind green eyes.

“Pouvons-nous monter?” Levi asks her. Eren is surprised; he didn’t know Levi spoke French. More still, he sounds just like a native.

“Oui, bien sûr” She says with a smile, gesturing to the stairs at the other side of the restaurant.

“I’ve known her for a long time,” Levi explains, leading Eren to the stairs. “She used to go to Sina Ballet recitals with her family. She recognized me when I moved into the neighborhood, and showed me this.”

The two climb up the stairs. “And what exactly is it?” Eren asks.

“You said you like watching the sunset in your hometown, right? Well, this is where I go to watch mine.”

Levi opens the door at the top of the stairs, and Eren finds himself on a roof covered in potted flowers. But his breath is taken out of his lungs as he looks out at the incredible view sprawling out before them.

“Holy shit,” Eren breathes, Levi crossing his arms as he watches Eren’s reaction. “You must be able to see the whole city from here!” He can see the eiffel tower in the distance, as small as a figurine. And close to that, the Seine carves a path of water through the paris streets. Above it all, the sun is a great, bright circle overlooking the city and casting it in an orange glow.

[ ](https://imgur.com/QZJ0TZE)

Levi walks over to the ledge, leaning against it and looking out at the horizon. “This is my favorite spot in the whole city. It’s a great place to reflect, come up with new ideas. Or even just to clear my head. Rinee knows how much I love it, so she lets me come here whenever I want.”

Eren joins Levi, leaning over next to him. “It really is a very special place. But you were right, this definitely wouldn’t show up in top 10 most beautiful attractions in Paris.”

“I'm glad,” Levi responds. He reaches into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “You want one?”

“Please,” Eren says. Levi lights one up, and as Eren puts one in his mouth, the raven reaches over to light it for him. As he takes a deep puff, he takes a moment to revel in the butterflies that appeared in his stomach after that.

“Let me ask you something,” Eren says, looking away from the city in favor of examining the features of Levi’s face. “Why do you love Paris so much?”

Eren is hypnotized by the curls of smoke escaping Levi’s parted lips.

“Why do I love Paris? I guess, because it’s so full of stories. Fantôme de l'Opéra, Notre Dame de Paris, Les Misérables. The list goes on. It’s like something incredible must have happened in the lives of all the playwrights and poets here, leading them to create so many masterpieces. Perhaps I stayed here because... I wanted to see if this city had the power to make incredible things happen in my life too.”

Eren hits his cigarette again. “So did it?”

Levi looks away from Eren to watch the sunset pensively.

“I’m not sure yet.”

~

When Eren comes home that night, Armin is already asleep. He heads into his room and lays back on his bed. Looking up at the ceiling, he lets his thoughts loose, and just like that Levi is there. Dancing in pale light, regarding him with gunmetal eyes, standing beside him bathed in an orange glow. The smoke sitting on his lips… Eren wishes that instead of that cigarette, it had been him that Levi was breathing in, pressing to his mouth. He wishes he could grip Levi like the tightness of his ballet tights, and brush over his skin lightly like the cotton of his shirt. He wishes his fingers could be the breeze, running through the raven’s dark hair. 

He can feel the need pooling in his stomach, and he lets himself go. He pulls his briefs down to meet his growing erection, and starts stroking it slowly.

_ Fuck _ , Levi is right behind his eyes, if he could only reach out and take him. He thinks about how he would press Levi’s body against his, grab his jaw to bring their eyes together before parting his lips in a kiss. He wonders what noises Levi would make as he left marks on his neck, circling his arms around his thighs and parting his legs. His visions egging him on, he strokes faster. Remembering the raven’s delicious ass, Eren knows how easy it would be to grab handfuls of it as he ground their hips together. He can almost taste Levi’s tongue, feel his hot breath against his skin, and hear his drawn out moans. The tightness of his fist suddenly becomes the inside of Levi’s body, and he’s thrusting into him, waves of pleasure coursing through his body with each push and pull.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Eren whispers through gritted teeth, nearing his limit. In his pleasure-induced haze thinks about the possibility of Levi being like this too, fingering himself, grasping his pillowcase. Breathing Eren’s name in between moans. 

With that thought in his head, Eren reaches his climax. He shudders and comes, the raven’s name spilling from his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> (Sorry not sorry)


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a bit!
> 
> The gang travels to a new location, and a tense moment happenssss

Looking back, Eren can’t believe that 2 weeks have passed already. Just 2 weeks since he and Armin travelled across the world to join the Sina Ballet for the summer, having no idea of the journey that would lie ahead. And in just 2 weeks, Eren’s world has been completely changed. New friends at his side, new enemies at his back. Levi calling. 

Eren is starting to forget how life felt before he entered his life, how it felt to not want someone so badly. Back when his thoughts were free to wander, when they weren’t bound to silver eyes and ebony hair. With every day that passes, every moment stolen with him in their lessons, Eren is starting to understand that he can never go back to the way things were. He can’t take back how far he’s let himself fall for Levi. 

Thinking about this, it makes him afraid, but he knows that it’s too late to do anything to try to stop it.

~

“Where the fuck are my fucking shoes?” Armin exclaims, rummaging through his room trying to find them. “We’re gonna be late for fucks sake.”

Eren chuckles. The blonde has a habit of swearing like a sailor when he’s upset about something. “This is why I tell you to always put them in your bag and leave them there.”

Armin stops searching for a second to glare at his friend. “Your sass is not helping, asshole. Now pull your finger out of your ass and help me look.” Shaking his head, Eren walks into the room and quickly scans the area. Low and behold, he spots his shoes wrapped around his bed banister.

“Armin. You are terrible at finding things. I can see them from here.”

Armin stands up exasperatedly. “Well where are they?”

“Should I make you find them yourself? Or should I-”

“Eren, do you really want us to be more late than we already are? That might piss off your boyfriend a little.”

“Below the belt, Armin. Calm the fuck down, they’re right there on your bed.”

Looking over at his bed and facepalming, Armin grabs the shoes and shoves them in his bag. “It’s not me, it’s the fucking sleep deprivation. I swear, I’m losing brain cells by the day. Now let's get going, we’ll have to haul ass to make it on time.”

Eren and Armin practically stumble into class, panting heavily after running all the way there from their apartment. The pair basically collapse on the floor to start tying up their shoes.

“Well, there goes whatever energy I had,” Armin sighs. “I can already tell this is gonna be a fucked up day.”

“It’s so Armin of you to let one inconvenience set the tone for the entire rest of the day,” Eren replies with a smirk. “Maybe it was just your bad karma manifesting all at once because the rest of the day is going to be super great.”

“Fuck off, ghandi,” Armin deadpans as Eren snickers. Eren’s about to come up with some witty retort when Levi walks in looking gorgeous as ever, clad in sinfully tight black leggings and a dark gray dress shirt.  _ Fuck _ , something about Levi in dark colors just did things to Eren.

“Good morning, class,” Levi says as he drops his bag in the back of the room. “Before we begin, I have an important announcement to make. As you well know, our first recital is a mere two weeks away. Your routine is completed and we’re now in the stage of refining and perfecting it, but in order for our show to be truly great, we need to gain insight of how we’re doing from more sets of eyes. By practicing with other dancers, they can offer us advice on our performance from different perspectives. This enables us to ensure that our recital will seem great to a larger variety of spectators. With this in mind, I have recently been in contact with the Stohess Academy of Dance. Do any of you know it?”

“Do I know it!” Jean pipes up from the back of the room. Eren can’t help but cringe; his pretentious tone of voice is like nails on a chalkboard. “That’s where I’m from! Levi, are you saying that we’re going to Marseille?”

As Levi nods, the students erupt in excited conversation. Levi quiets them down with a gesture of his hand. “Settle down everyone, let me finish. Yes, we’re going to Marseille, which if you don’t know is a city in Southern France. That’s where the Stohess Academy is. We’re going there for a weekend of practices with the dancers there, and we’ll be exchanging critiques on each other’s routines since they have recitals coming up too. Now, the Stohess Academy and Sina Ballet have been close allies for many years, so it should go without saying that you will all represent our organization well by being on your best behavior. If I hear of any horsing around or disruptive behavior from any of you, you’ll be out on your ass back to Paris and packing your bags.”

“Eren, do you understand what this means?” Armin says excitedly. “Marseille is one of the most beautiful cities in all of France. And on top of that, there’s a beach!”

“I wonder if there’s naked beaches,” Reiner whispers next to him. “This is France after all.”

“You pervert,” Eren jeers at the blonde, who simply continues to smirk. 

“Hey, my mind is in the gutter and I’m proud of it.”

“Okay, okay, I know you’re all excited, but we’re still in class and we need to focus now,” Levi says. “Now, everyone on your feet. We’ll be running through the middle excerpt of the routine that some of you are still struggling through. Since we’ll be travelling South tomorrow, we need to cover as much ground today as we can in anticipation of that lost time.”

~

Marseilles is a beautiful place. Eren almost can’t believe it as the city emerges from behind the hills, rows of rustic buildings lined up along cobblestone streets all facing down towards the sea. He’s never seen anything like it.

As the coach bus slows down upon entering the city, Eren notices that Jean is still carrying on and on. “Right up that street over there, that’s my house! It’s not a far bus ride from the Stohess Academy, which is closer to the center of town that way. I used to walk home from practice on this street every night, when my friends and I weren’t heading to the beach to get drunk of course. You guys are gonna love it here!” A blush spreads across the brunette’s face as he turns to Marco. “You know, I… I could show you around if you want, take you to all the cool spots around here.” 

Eren snickers; he gets some satisfaction out of seeing that horseface asshole so flustered. Marco looks equally flustered if not more so, mumbling something along the lines of “that would be nice.”

Turning his attention to the front row of the bus, Eren’s eyes find Levi. The raven has a wistful look on his face, staring out of the window at the passing buildings. Eren wonders what he’s thinking about to have that look, but his train of thought is broken as the bus grinds to a halt.

“We’re here!” Hanji exclaims, jumping out of her seat. “You kids are really in luck, you know. The Stohess Academy is putting us up for the weekend here at Hotel Dieu, the most luxurious hotel in the city!”

“Noooo waaaay,” Jean says. “I have always wanted to stay in this place!” 

The students file out of the bus to find themselves in front of an enormous rococo building that looks more like a castle than a hotel. Almost every wall is covered in huge paned windows, and the front entrance is adorned by two long columns of pillars stacked on top of one another. An ornate, black metal gate at the front opens up to a flight of marble stairs leading to the entrance.

“Who died and made us royalty?” Armin says, staring blankly at the palace of a hotel before them. “I don’t think I’d be able to afford a single night here even with every penny to my name.”

“Yea, it’s expensive alright,” Says Levi, appearing next to Eren. “So you guys better not break anything.” The raven continues to the front of the group that has gathered outside of the hotel. “Let’s all proceed inside to get our rooms, and ditch our bags. You’ll all have the evening off to get settled, but we’re meeting at this spot tomorrow morning at 7 AM sharp to head over to the Academy.  _ Don’t _ be late.”

~

The sputtering sparks from the firecrackers light up the dark night air in colors of yellow and pink. The smell of burning wood permeates the air, and whiz-popping noises echo around the beach. Armin and Eren laugh hysterically as Connie sprints away with his sparkler, shouting on about how it’s burning his fingers. Sasha chases after him, creating streams of flickering light behind her.

“Look, look!” Exclaims Reiner, pointing over towards the ocean. In the darkness, Eren makes out the shape of two people standing together, each holding a sparkler. The taller of the two lights their sparklers, and as they start sizzling in neon blue and purple, Jean pulls Marco closer and turns his head in a kiss.

“Ohhhhhh shiiiiiiiit!” Armin screams. He runs over to the pair and jumps on Marco’s back, who is looking very blushed and flustered despite the grin on his face. Reiner claps Jean’s back in congratulations, who is trying to look smug despite his bottom lip quivering into a smile. 

Eren smiles on at the scene; he’s not sure why a nice guy like Marco would go for someone like Jean, but he seems happy, so who is he to judge?

He closes his eyes, and feels his heart swell. He sees another pair on the beach, standing close, sparklers alight and shining in their eyes. And instead of Jean and Marco, it’s Eren pulling Levi close to connect their lips.

The vision fades, and Eren runs after his friends towards the sea.

~

“Did you get a look at Jean and Marco this morning? It’s almost sickening.”

Eren snorts, glancing back at the pair standing behind them. Jean has his hand on the small of Marco’s back, whispering something in his ear as the Spaniard blushes profusely. Eren isn’t sure whether or not Marco knows this, but his turtle neck isn’t doing much to hide the purple splotches blooming below his jaw. 

“So, some stuff went down with them last night, I take it?” Reiner comments, idling up next to Eren.

“I heard Jean going to his room after the beach, so I assume so,” Armin replies. “Since when have those two been after each other like that?”

Eren shrugs. “Well, Jeans a pretentious asshole and Marco’s as shy as a dormouse, so I’m not surprised that no one knew about it.” Looking up, he notices that Hanji is running down the hotel stairs, beaming excitedly. Behind her, Levi and Erwin follow, exchanging in a quiet conversation. Levi’s eyebrows are crossed in annoyance, whereas Erwin is wearing his usual smirk as he whispers to the raven. Eren feels irritation bubbling up his throat at the sight, but swallows it down as the instructors meet with the rest of the group.

“Good morning, lovelies!” Hanji says. “I’m glad you all made it on time. Let’s head over to Stohess!”

The academy is a short walk from the hotel. It’s a beautiful historic building sitting on a cliff that overlooks the water below. Ornate, glass-paned windows on tanned rock walls reach up to the tiled red roof. It isn’t as big or fancy as the Sina Ballet, but it’s charming and picturesque. At the front door, a short woman with ginger hair is standing there. Noticing the group, she jumps up and waves excitedly.

“Hey everyone!” She calls out. “Welcome to the Stohess Academy! My name is Petra, I’m one of the instructors here. It’s our pleasure to be your hosts for the weekend!”

Petra heads over to exchange words with Levi, Hanji and Erwin, and the students file into the building. The front entrance leads into the auditorium, and some of the students walk off to examine the rows of seats leading up to the black stage. 

“Alrighty everyone!” Petra says to gain everyone’s attention. “Please feel free to sit wherever you’d like. To start things off, our hard working dancers here at Stohess will perform our current recital dances for you all to watch! Afterwards, please feel free to introduce yourselves to them, and we’ll appreciate any advice or comments you have on our performance!”

“Wow, this is really cool!” Armin says to Eren. “Come on, let’s go find a seat.” When Eren is about to follow Armin to a seat, he feels his heart skip a few beats when Levi walks up to the pair. 

“Sorry, Arlert. Eren’s going to come and sit next to me.”

Armin looks almost as surprised as Eren feels. The blonde quickly snaps out of it, clearly trying as hard as he can to appear casual.

“Oh. Yea, okay, that’s fine. No big deal. Okay, I’ll be over with Reiner. See you Eren.”

Eren can scarcely breathe as he follows Levi, who chooses a seat in the front rows. He sits on Levi’s left side, and suddenly their closeness makes it feel like someone has turned up the heat in the room to a thousand degrees. 

Eren swallows a lump in his throat, and glances over at Levi. The raven rolls his eyes. “Don’t give me that look, Jaeger.”

“What look?” Eren responds. “I don’t have a look.”

“I know you’d probably rather sit with your friends but I want to point some things out to you,” Levi explains. “One of Stohess Academy’s dances this year is a duet. I want to show you some of their techniques. Maybe you’ll learn something you can use in our dance.”

“Oh, no it’s fine, I don’t mind at all, really,” Eren replies hastily. “But a duet, huh? What kind of duet?”

“Ballet, I assume.” Something in Levi’s tone of voice changes. “The two who are dancing it, I know them. They’re very talented dancers. You could learn a lot from them.”

“Who are they?” Eren asks. “How do you know them?”

When Levi is silent, Eren glances over at him. He’s staring front at the stage, his fine features outlined by the low light. He sighs deeply. “Their names are Farlan and Isabel. We all took dance classes together.”

“I thought you were a student back at Sina, did they go there too in the past?”

Levi smiles, chuckling softly. “No. That was just me. I meant that we learned together back when we were children. But when we got older, I went to Paris to study at Sina. They stayed.”

“Levi, are you saying you grew up here?” Eren wonders. “And why did you decide to leave?”

Eren feels a pit in his stomach when he notices that Levi’s expression has morphed into something he can only describe as pain. He wants to know more about Levi so badly, but more so he suddenly feels terrible for asking so many questions; clearly Levi is revisiting some bad memories.

“I’m sorry,” He says quickly. “I really didn’t mean to intrude.” Levi visibly tries to right the expression on his face, replacing it with his usual impassive glare. But his eyes still look sad. 

“It’s fine, Jaeger. You really are a curious brat.”

The lights along the walls go out, indicating that the performance is about to begin. 

The spotlight comes up on the stage, revealing two people standing side by side. One is a young man with dirty blonde hair and eyes the color of ice. Standing next to him is a short girl with her dark red hair pulled back into a bun. A soft, melodic violin solo begins over the speakers and their duet begins. The girl spins around in a slow adagé, and the man catches her and lifts her off her feet, holding her lower back as she dips backward.

“Do you see how they alternate between maintaining eye contact and looking out at the spotlight?” Levi murmurs as the pair continue to dance. “Where the dancers are looking means a lot more than you might think. It helps to tie the movements together.”

Watching the smooth movements of the pair, Eren is so at peace. The room is dark and quiet, Levi is sitting so close to his side. He feels like he could just sit here forever next to him, listening to the softness of Levi’s voice mingling with the gentle tones of the music.

“Eren, tell me,” Levi whispers. “To be a compatible duet pair, what characteristics must the two dancers have?”

Eren considers the question for a moment. “Well the obvious answer is strength and physique. The person dancing the masculine part needs adequate upper body strength, and the person in the feminine part needs good strength in their legs. That’s because the masculine part often lifts and supports the feminine part, who does a lot of spins, jumps and splits, that sort of thing. The feminine part by extension should be generally smaller than the masculine part.”

Levi crosses his arms with a sigh, continuing to watch the pair dancing on the stage. “Yes, that’s all true. But the most important thing that the two share is understanding. Each dancer knowing how the other moves; anticipating their actions. That way, the two can come up with a duet that goes along with the strengths and weaknesses of each person. If we understand each other on that level, our duet will be a display of who we are, individually and together.”

As the girl jumps across the stage and lands in the man’s arms, he spins her around his body and plants her in front of her as she falls into an adagé.

“Do you understand me, Levi?” Eren asks, turning his head to look at Levi. He waits for the raven to return his gaze. When he does, it takes almost everything for Eren not to back out of their close eye contact.

“Please, Jaeger,” Levi scoffs. “I can read you like a book. You give everything away through your dance.”

Eren can’t help but lean in closer to him before murmuring his next question.

“When you watch me dance then, what do you see?”

Levi blinks, and instead of a cold and steely hue, his eyes have taken on the warm tones in the dark room. He looks back at Eren in colors of a lilac dawn, and his eyebrows are so uncharacteristically relaxed across his forehead.

“I see someone who has a passion for dancing that I haven’t seen in anyone for a long time,” Levi answers. “In a way… it’s inspiring. To see that there’s still new dancers who perform with that purpose. This is part of the reason why you and I will be compatible partners. We see greatness in each other; we understand each other.”

As Levi’s words float around his head, the performance in front of Eren starts to fade into the background. Suddenly, it’s just the two of them sitting together, inches apart, Eren hanging on to the end of Levi’s every last word. And he realizes just how lucky he is to be in his position; to be the one that Levi noticed, the one that fate chose to bring into his life. He almost feels like his heart could burst.

“You inspire me too, Levi,” Eren breathes, carefully trying to muffle the tremble in his voice. “Honestly, all I want to do is dance with you.”

Levi inhales almost sharply, and it’s impossible for Eren to interpret the way Levi is looking at him. He holds his breath as Levi’s eyes subtly roam over his facial features, like the raven is trying to decipher something from them. 

But the lights come back up in the room as the dance ends, and Levi turns away from Eren. His face returns to that stoic look that he always wears, and Eren wonders how many more times he’ll get to see that blank expression fall away to show what’s underneath… what’s real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh Eren you simp.  
> Just you people wait.  
> The plan is unwinding....  
> Also shit really gon hit the fan in the next chapter so hold on to your beer.


End file.
